Cooker



Feb. 13, 1923. 1,4451%; 8. L. B ER R Y;

COOKER.

FILED APR. 22, 1920. v 2 SHEETS-SHEET lvwnNEssE s. INVENTOR.

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COOKER.

FILED APR.22. 1920.

Feb. 13, 1923.

WITNESSES. INVENTOR;

ugwflwsA/ ?atented Feb. 13, 1923.

UNHTED inane earanrorri SENECA LUCIEN BERRY, OF SUNNYVALE, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR T ANNAE. BERRY,

' OF SUNNYVALE, CALIFORNIA.

COOKER.

Application filed April 22, 1920. Serial No. 375,866.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, SENECA LUCIEN BERRY, a citizen of the United vStates, residing at Sunnyvale, in the county oi Eianta Clara and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cookers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class oi m chines, used in canning fruits, vegetables and other articles of food, through which the cans, after being cappedand sealed, are passed for the final cooking or processing,

which may or may not include the operation is aimed to be kept as nearly as possible the same as all of the other can handling apparatus of the plant. Another advantage of this apparatus lies in the fact-that while the time of cooking maybe varied at will that the cooker receptacle has only two. openings for the loss of steam.

The mechanism by .meansofwhich this object is attained is fully described hereinafter and shown in the drawings, in which-,

F ig. 1 is a cross section in elevation of a cooker embodying my invention, showing a two cylinder unit;

Fig. 2 a plan view of the same; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of this cooker showing conventional pressure valves at the inlet and outlet. I V

The machine, in the form chosen for illustration, consists essentially of a tank 1, an inlet opening 2, an outlet opening 3, stationary shafts 4 held in supports 5, said shafts carrying supports 6 to angle bars 7 to which are secured the spiral can tracks 8, intermeshing gears 9 revolving on said shafts 4 and carrying between pairs the can driving bars 10, pinions 11 meshing with two of said gears 9, pinion shaft 12 supported in bearings on tank 1, curved plates Another object of the invention is to enof the unit, gates or; doors 15 to 15 adapted to closesaid openings 14% except that one shown at 14 heating coils 16 and tank covers 17.

In describing the operation of this mechanism the rotating element next to the inlet 2 will be called the first cylinder and its spiral the first spiral.

To obtain the maximum time of cook the gates 15 to 15 inclusive are closed, when. the cans, fed in at the inlet 2 and driven by the bars 10, traverse the full length of the first spiral, pass through'opening' 14 return the full length of the second spiral and pass out at outlet 3. vFor the-shortest time, gate 15 is opened, when the cans, will traverse a portionofa turn on each spiral and discharge at outlet 3. For intermediate cooksthe appropriate gate is opened, the

cans passingthrough the first' opening encountered in the canway, unless prevented by a can in the corresponding pocketin the second spiral.

In. lengthening. the time, "Or (500k the proper gate isv opened and the preceding ones closed, when the new conditionwill be promptly attained, but when shortening the time, it is necessary to stop feeding cans untilrboth spirals are cleared of cans beyond the gate to be opened, otherwise the attainment of the new condition w il1 b'e dependent upon' the accidental om1ss1on of cans. i I f Fig; 1 shows the relative positions of the can driving bars 10 in the first and second cylinders of a unit, that shown at 10 being lower than that at 10 thus forming a drop and an obstruction which prevents a can from rolling back intothe first cylinder and holds it' in such a position that the point 18 will force it into the :second cylinder. Should a can, in trying to pass through an opening 14, into the corresponding pocket formed byv the second cylinder and itsspiral, encounter .a. can in that pocket, it will be held in the first cylinder and pass on untll' it finds an unobstructedopening, which may not b until it reaches '14 which is always unobstructed.

This feature of my invention isvery 1mportant to the practical operation of the instead 01 passing out cl the an 3,

would into a third and 01 h u inand so through the on "e n'iachine method oi hcati n coonei' may be e nloyed, the pref, ones the present ime being; boiling; water with superimposed steam steam alone.

The machine as described may be used as cooler by substituting; cooling)" means tor the heatin means, a single o nder may be used recei fi g can-s at 3.

Though the mechanism is shownv in connection with a tank suitatie for steam at atmospheric pressure, it is enrich that it is equally well adapted to operate with steam under greater pressure when installec in a proper tank supplied with inlet and outlet valves, which are shown in Fig. 3.

dei',

In Fig. 3 the cooker enclosingv casing is illustrated at 20 and it has the shafts 4 for the support or". the can driving drains, said drums being driven from the shafts 19 @ne of the handles is shown 21' The inlet valve is installed in a casing 22 and consists of a rotary valve, 24 receivinc; the cans 26 from a suitable receiving trough 28. v

The discharge valve consists of casing 523 within which the pocketed valve discharging the cans 2'? upon the trough The construction of these valves similar to the construction shown in Patent No. 1,198,510 September 19, 1916. v i

vllleans tor driving pinion shaft 12 are not shown as any suliicient methodmay be used. j I

What claim is 1. In a cooker the combination with a tank havine an inlet and an outlet openin f. of two adjacent rotary drum can carriers in said tank, slidable gates between the two carriers. for discharging cans from the first carrier to the second carrier at a plurality oifplaces the circumference of both 0'1": the carriers, and a support between the carriers to preventthe cans from falling down between the carriers.

' 2. In a cooker the combination with a "tank having an inlet and an outlet open ingot adjacent can carrying}; elements th erein, means to time the can carrying elements so that a can Wlll be discharged. from the pockets of one of said elements to the poi-kets of the other, and a plurality of movable gates side by side along the circumference of the can carrying elements to control the pascans from one to the other oi said 3. a cooker the combination with a tank having an inlet and an outlet opening, of adjacent rotary can carrying; elements therein, means to time said can elements so that a can may be di q i from one of elements to the other at a plurality of places, a plurality of movable gates side by side along the circumilerencc of the can carrying elements to control the passage oilf cans irom one element to the other, and an i cline between the carriers over which the cans roll from the first. can

to the next carrier.

i. in coolrer the combination with a tank having an inlet and an out et openi of adjacent can carrying elements in said tank, each oi? said can carrying elements in eluding a plurality of longitudinally extening; bars, a spiral track on which the cans travel, and means to time said ele ments so that the cans may be delivered from a higher pair of elements to a lower pair or" the adjacent elements and means to control the position of such delivery along the length of the can carriers.

5. In a cooker the combination with a tank having an inlet and anoutlet opening, of adjacent rotary can carrying elements ing; elements, means to time the rotary elements so that a can may be delivered from one element to the other and means to eftectsuch delivery at a plurality of points along the circumference of the can carrying element, and an incline between the two carriers over which the cans roll from one llileil to the other.

6. In a coolqer the conili ination with a tank having an inlet and an outlet opening, of adjacent can carrying elements therein, means to time said elements so that a can may be delivered from one o'l said elements to the other at a plurality of" places along the circumference of the can carrier, 5;, plurality of slidable gates between the carriers to control the passage of cans froln one of said carriers to'another, and an incline over which the cans roll from onecarriertothe other.

7. In a cooker the combination with tank having an inlet and an outlet opening, of adjacent can carrying elements therein, a partition having a plurality of passage- .ways between the cam carriers, the botwill. be carried by the preliminary carrier may be varied, and means in the inlet and outlet openings to retain a pressure of steam over atmospheric in the tank.

8. In a cooker the combination with a tank having an inlet and an outlet opening, heating coils therein, two series of fixed spiral. guides in the tank, rotary can carrying bars surrounding thespiral guides, a partition between the two carriers having a plurality of openings whereby cans may be discharged from one spiral to the other at a plurality of places, gates for the several openings whereby the point of discharge may be varied, means projecting above the tank to operate the gates, and means in the inlet and outlet openings to retain steam pressure in the tank above atmospheric pressure. Y

9. In a cooker the combination with a tank having an inlet and an outlet opening, a pressure retaining valve in each of said openings, adjacent can carrying elements in the tank, two continuous spiral tracks -for guiding the cans as they travel through inlet and outlet pressure retaining valves for supplying the tank with cans and for removing them therefrom, a plurality of separate can carriers on parallel axes in said tank, a continuous spiral track for each carrier for guiding the travel of the cans, means to time the carriers one to another,

an incline between two of the carriers, and

a series of gates along said incline whereby the time the cans are retained in the cooker may be varied :withoutvarying the rate of rotation of the carriers.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

Witnesses ANNA BERRY, JoHN FAULDS.

SENECA; LUoiEN BERRY. I 

